AskMen Style Defined: Make Black Look Anything but Basic

Make a Bold Choice in All Black This Spring

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Here at AskMen, we strive to bring you new and interesting content to help answer any questions you may have from sex and dating to health and fitness to food and booze and of course, style and grooming. In our latest installment of the weekly series AskMen Style Defined, we talk about the forgotten color of spring — black.

Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, fashionable Instagrammer Dustin Carrington has called Toronto home for the past five years. Currently overseeing wholesale for eastern Canada for the Toronto-based jewelry brand Jenny Bird, he has been involved in the retail game for quite some time.

“I honestly can't remember a time that I wasn't interested in fashion,” he says. “My first job in the industry though was more than 10 years ago [for the affordable fashion brand] Mexx. Clothing has always been a way for me to just express my mood, or my creativity. I dabbled in other jobs, but I've always known that the fashion industry was where I belonged.”

Although posting photos on Instagram has been a passion side project for quite a few years, he has been interested in fashion long before any of us knew what a Clarendon filter was.

“[I] have been documenting my style through photos since before Instagram even existed,” Carrington says about his images. “I remember keeping a spreadsheet of my planned outfits even back in elementary school. Then [I] got hooked on an app called Pose before switching over to Instagram once [it] launched.” Now defunct, Pose was an app launched in 2010 that set the tone for what Instagram has become today — followers, fashionable photos and most importantly, shoppable links.

So where does Carrington find his inspiration when pulling double duty?

“It really just depends on how I feel when I wake up, and where I'm going,” Carrington tells us. “An outfit inspiration could come from an interior photo I stumbled across on Instagram [or] a stranger walking down the street. [Even] a piece of jewelry.” That would make sense considering he immersed himself in the world of women’s jewelry fulltime.

“I actually get inspired by women's fashion a lot as well,” he says. “Women generally have much more options when it comes to clothing and accessories, and I love to pull from that and make it my own. I can dress super street, but then also clean up and throw on a blazer and loafers and love that look too.”

What stood out to us from his varied feed of everything from bold and bright tracksuits to mixed, muted neutrals was this all-black outfit that is anything but dim. “The denim is from a brand I [was] recently introduced to called Outland Denim,” he explains. “What I really love about the brand, and especially this pair of denim, is that everything they use is sustainable [and] organic. The cotton, the threads, vegetable dyes etc.” We are a big fan of sustainable, eco-friendly clothing here at AskMen as well, so check out some more of our favorites we rounded up for Earth Day.

“This patched, distressed, leather jacket from Diesel is honestly my favorite piece I own in my whole closet,” he continues. “I've been watching "Riverdale" lately, (I know I'm late to that party) but I was inspired by the South Side Serpents, a gang in the show … I just really wanted to wear my leather jacket since it was finally warm enough to not be completely bundled up.”

What is Carrington looking forward to most as the weather warms up? “This probably sounds lame, but what I'm most excited about ... is being able to spend more time outside with my dogs [Maui and Thai]. After working all day ... there is honestly nothing better than relaxing at the park with my pups.”

If you are looking for an idea how to make basic black anything but, well, basic, we suggest getting taking a cue from Carrington’s outfit.

We think this dark outfit still looks fresh for spring with it’s bright Chucks and even brighter hair, but what do you think? What do you want to see? Do you have a look you like? Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and friend us on Facebook to share your best looks or tell us about someone we should check out. Tag us and use the hashtag #AskMenStyleDefined to get our attention. Or email us directly at Editorial@AskMen.com with “AskMen Style Defined” in the subject line. Maybe next week, we’ll pick you!